Happy Mother’s Day To All VSEA Moms!
|
|
ALERT! House Wants To Protect DCF Jobs & Senate Wants To Cut Them, Leading To Conference Committee Showdown
|
|
| St. Albans DCF ESD workers stand together with their colleagues across Vermont to oppose any cuts to their service and their staff. |
|
| Urgent! Late yesterday, VSEA sent an email to members, asking you to contact your Vermont House of Representatives members and ask them to inform House Conference Committee conferees (three total) and House leadership not to back down on the House position on DCF Reach Up case managers.
As WIA was being released this afternoon, VSEA is still asking members to contact your House members. You can leave a message for your House members with the Sergeant-at-Arm’s office at (802) 828-2228, or contact them by phone or email. As always, please do this from your own phone on break time!
Earlier in the week, VTDigger posted a story about the Senate’s decision to advance a budget that included cuts to 12 DCF ESD Reach Up case manager positions.
From VTDigger story:
In response to a reduction in demand for Reach Up, one of Vermont’s key social services for low-income families, legislators are proposing to cut 17 of the program’s state-funded caseworkers in the next fiscal year.
The budget passed by the Senate this week eliminates 12 caseworker positions in the Department for Children and Families, and five at the state’s parent child centers — a network of nonprofits that provide services to families with young children.
&
Steve Howard, the executive director of the VSEA, the state employees union, said that if lawmakers are going to cut Reach Up caseworkers they should cut them from the parent child centers and not DCF.
The state employees union supports the House’s position on Reach Up funding: cutting the parent child centers’ $1.6 million contract to pay Reach Up employees, and adding $1.2 million to the centers’ base budget. |
|
Happy Public Service Recognition Week 2019 VSEA!
|
|
|
VSEA is proud to join once again with all Americans to celebrate the quality public services our nation’s federal, state and local government employees provide every day. Since 1985, America has paid tribute to its public-service employees by honoring them during “Public Service Recognition Week,” which, this year, is May 5 to May 11.
VSEA President Dave Bellini and the entire VSEA Board of Trustees are wishing every state and public employee a happy Public Service Recognition Week and a huge thank you for your service to the people of Vermont.
“While it is important for America to designate a week each year to officially celebrate the outstanding work that public service workers perform, VSEA appreciates your contribution 365 days a year,” says Bellini. “VSEA is proud to represent you, and we take great pride in providing all the support and assistance we can. This includes bargaining help, complaint and grievance assistance, steward support, legal help, legislative lobbying, skills training, and assistance with many other work-related issues. All too often, the essential services provided by America’s public-sector workers are overlooked and undervalued. It’s unfortunate that many average citizens do not think about their daily use of public services and the people who provide them. One of VSEA’s top priorities will continue to be highlighting the essential services you provide. On behalf of VSEA and the more than 6,100 public service employees we represent, we thank you for your commitment and service to the citizens of our great state.”
|
|
| VSEA President Dave Bellini (standing) joined with state employees being honored as part of special State-sponsored Public Service Recognition Week luncheon on Monday in Montpelier.
View List of 2019 Honorees |
|
See The Red Sox With Your Union!
|
|
|
Order Your Tickets Today!
Saturday, June 8
Red Sox vs. Tampa Bay Rays
$111.00 Per Person. Includes a ride to the park and a ticket to the game.
Bus Pick-Up Locations:
Waterbury – 7:00 am
White River Junction – 8:00 am
To Purchase Tickets, or if you have questions, please contact either: Bob South at VSEA:
bsouth@vsea.org, 802- 223-5247 or Sue DeVoid at VSEA:
sdevoid@vsea.org,
802-223-5247.
Payment must be received before tickets are released.
No refunds on purchased tickets.
|
|
|
VSEA Joins All Of America This Week To Pay Tribute To Our Nurses and Corrections Professionals
|
|
| These images posted this week to VSEA’s Facebook page: |
|
Final Senate Vote On VSEA Arbitration Bill Scheduled For Monday. After That, On To The House
|
|
| This afternoon, the Senate approved S .156 on second reading by a 27-2 vote, setting the stage for a final reading and vote by the Senate on Monday, followed by the bill moving to the House on Tuesday for debate. S. 156 is the VSEA-drafted bill that seeks to resolve contract-negotiation disputes, using an arbitrator mutually selected by VSEA and the State. VSEA’s legislative team continues to be optimistic that the Senate will vote to move the bill to the House next week for debate.
In the coming hours and days, VSEA may be reaching out to members and retirees to contact your lawmakers, Senate and House, to urge their support for VSEA’s arbitration bill.
Why This Bill Needs To Pass
Currently, if VSEA and the State cannot reach contract agreement at the table, with the assistance of the mediator and the fact-finder’s report, the parties then proceed to the Vermont Labor Relations Board (VLRB) for a process known as “last-best-offer” (LBO), where each party submits its LBO to the VLRB for consideration. The VLRB will impose either parties last best offer, or the fact-finder’s report recommendation’s (based on the evidence presented to the by the fact-finder). It’s a process that has worked for decades, with both parties seeking to avoid the risk of a contract imposed by a third party; contracts were usually reached at the negotiating table, after the fact-finding process. But then the State decided in 2018 that it wanted to upend this process, which had worked successfully for decades, and, sadly, it worked to the State’s advantage. This is why VSEA is lobbying her for passage of S. 156.
VSEA’s bill initially sought to amend the existing contract impasse procedure for state employees by transferring the ultimate decision-making power from the Vermont Labor Relations Board (VLRB) to an independent, professional arbitrator who is mutually selected by the State and VSEA, or chosen by the VLRB if the parties cannot agree. Senate Committee members, however, recently changed the language to read that the VLRB would hear the “last-best-contract-offer” on the table, unless either party objects, in which case a mutually selected arbitrator would rule on the matter. The Committee added that In the event the two sides could not agree upon an arbitrator, the American Association of Arbitrators would select one. VSEA’s legislative team says the changes do not diminish the bill.
Note: WIA will continue to keep members updated on S. 156 developments. |
|
How Long Have You Been Waiting For Your Blue Cross Claim To Be Paid?
|
|
|
VSEA posted the following to its Facebook page on Tuesday:
Members of VSEA’s Benefits Advisory Committee (BAC) recently met with Blue Cross/Blue Shield representatives and Department of Human Resources’ Benefits Division staff to inquire about numerous reports from VSEA members, retirees and staff that their claims were not being paid. The BAC requested the meeting and what they discovered is alarming.
According to Blue Cross, 6,302 claims for state employees and retirees have currently not been paid, totaling approximately $20 million. Of those, 2,330, totaling $10m, are 30-days past due. Blue Cross representatives blamed the delay on a new automated claims system the company installed in January 2019. Needless to say, there have been major glitches, prompting BAC members to ask why a test run of dummy claims was not conducted, prior to implementing the new system. According to Blue Cross, they did do a test run and thought the glitches were fixed. Obviously they were not all caught and fixed. Blue Cross said it continues to work on fixes, and BAC members pressed Blue Cross and the DHR’s Benefits Division hard to get the issues fixed, get the claims processed and ease the nerves of thousands of VSEA members and retirees waiting for their claim to be paid. Members have also reported that some of their claims have been incorrectly paid with the wrong co-pays. If you received your claim payment, VSEA is recommending you double-check the "Explanation of Benefits" form from Blue Cross that accompanied it for accuracy.
Every VSEA member and retiree who is waiting on a claim–and those whose claims were paid incorrectly–is urged to contact the Department of Human Resources’ Benefits Division to demand that your claim(s) be paid and remind them that an unpaid claim can sometimes break a family financially. Simple request; do your job!
DHR Benefits Division Contact Info
VTDigger 5/8 Story: $20 Million In Unpaid Blue Cross Claims Hit VSEA Members
|
|
NMU Looking To Fill Bargaining Team Vacancies
|
|
VSEA Non-Management Unit Chairperson Bob Stone is actively looking to fill three vacant seats on the NMU Bargaining Team, representing state employees working in:
- Building Maintenance;
- Data Processing; and
- Labor / Education
VSEA NMU members interested in any of the above positions are asked to send a letter or email of interest by 4:00 p.m., Friday, May 24, to:
Bob Stone
NMU Chairperson
c/o VSEA
155 State St.
Montpelier, VT 05602
Email: bob272vsea@gmail.com
Note: NMU members specifically working in one of the groups looking to fill a vacancy will be given priority for consideration. |
|
VSEA Vermont State Housing Authority Unit Meets For Annual Meeting & Election
|
|
|
On Tuesday night, members of VSEA’s State Housing Authority Unit (pictured here) met at union headquarters for the Unit’s annual meeting, which included electing colleagues to the following positions:
Chair – Nate Schmechel
Vice Chair – Barb Beyor
Treasurer – Cathy Rice
Secretary – Ann Blanchard
Chief Steward – Gail Parent
Steward – Christy Velau
Steward – Melisa Fowler
Congratulations to everyone elected, and thank you, as always, for the important service(s) you provide daily to Vermont and Vermonters.
|
|
VSEA 2019 Election Season Officially Underway
|
|
|
All VSEA members were recently sent an email that explains how to run for a VSEA Officer or Board post up for election this year. The email will also contained blank petitions for interested candidates to complete.
Officer Posts Up for Election This Year:
(Petition Filing Deadline: June 3, 2019)
- President
- First Vice President
- Second Vice President
- Clerk
- Treasurer
Board Seats Up for Election This Year:
(Petition Filing Deadline: July 16, 2019)
- District 1 Trustee (Central Vermont, Barre)
- District 2 Trustee (Waterbury, Vermont Psychiatric Care Hospital)
- District 5 Trustee (Bennington, Rutland)
|
|
Details Firmed Up For May 30 Anti-Scott Walker Rally In Burlington
|
|
|
The Vermont labor community met this week to formalize plans for a rally / picket outside the Hilton Hotel in Burlington on May 30. That night, notorious anti-union, ex-Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is speaking at a fundraiser there. Walker’s visit comes eight years after working Vermonters and their unions, including VSEA, participated in an anti-Scott Walker solidarity rally to support Wisconsin workers, who were under attack from their governor.
Here’s how the evening is going to go:
- Meet in front of Battery Park stage – 5:00 p.m.
- March to Hilton – 5:30 p.m.
- Picket in front of hotel and rally across street
- Picket / rally concludes at 7:15 p.m.
Hope To See You At The Rally!
|
|
NMU Sick Leave Bank Nearly Bankrupt!
|
|
|
It’s open enrollment time to donate some hours to the NMU Sick Leave Bank, which is on the brink of bankruptcy and needs your help.
Please consider donating as much Annual and/or Personal leave as you are able to contribute.
Donating an hour of your time can mean the world to a fellow employee, who, along with their families, are struggling due to serious health issues.
Please print the Sick Leave Bank Donation Form, complete it, and forward it to your Human Resources Administrator between now and June 30, 2019.
Many thanks to those who previously donated time to the Sick Leave Bank. Your generosity is making a difference!
|
|
Next Friday, May 17 Is The Deadline To Enroll In VSEA’s Popular Delta Dental Supplemental Plan
|
|
|
For VSEA members who are not currently enrolled in your union’s Northeast Delta Dental Supplemental Program, now is the time to join, during the open enrollment period for the 2019-2020 plan year. The VSEA supplemental program is designed to enhance your current State-provided dental insurance benefit.
The enrollment period is also when members already in the program can amend their number of dependents also using the program, if this number has changed in the past year.
All enrollment forms will be due back on May 17, 2019.
Note: If you are already taking advantage of this benefit, and you have no changes this year to your coverage, you do not need to send back a new form, as you will be automatically renewed.
Learn More About VSEA’s Insurance Benefits
|
|
Reserve Your Room Now For VSEA’s 2019 Annual Meeting At Okemo
|
|
| VSEA’s Annual Meeting is September 14, 2019, which is approaching quickly. The Special Events Committee is letting VSEA members know that you can reserve a room now through a special link created by Okemo.
VSEA members will need to use a special rate code for the event, which is:
CM2VSEA
Reserve Room Now Here!
Room types available:
- Inn Room (occupancy 2-4)
1 to 2 nights = $159 per night
3 nights = $144.54
- Studio (occupancy 2-4)
1 to 2 nights = $173 per night
3 nights = $157.27
- One-Bedroom (occupancy 2-6)
1 to 2 nights = $195 per night
3 nights = $177.63
- Two-Bedroom (occupancy 4-6)
1 to 2 nights = $235 per night
3 nights = $213.63
The Committee is also sharing that there are two things members identified in the survey as important discussions to be conducted at Annual Meeting, including a review, discussion and vote on the union’s operating budget and a celebration of "surviving the Janus decision."
The Committee is reminding members to keep an eye out in future WIAs for more 2019 Annual Meeting updates. |
|
AFLAC Enrollment – Sign up through VSEA!
|
|
| WIA was asked by VSEA Benefits Administrator, Joanne Woodcock, to include the following in this week’s newsletter:
VSEA Insurance Benefits is now making the following Aflac insurance policies available to VSEA members!
View this full flyer ad! (PDF) |
|
* Certain face amounts may not be available. Underwriting requirements apply. ** Subject to certain conditions and payment of claims is subject to all policy limitations and exclusions and pre-existing conditions.
This is a brief product overview for illustrative purposes only. Benefits and/or premiums may vary based on the state and benefit option selected. Riders may be available for an additional premium. Policies described herein have limitations and exclusions that may affect benefits payable. For costs and complete details of the coverage, contact your Aflac insurance agent/producer. Individual coverage is underwritten by American Family Life Assurance Company of Columbus.
WWHQ | 1932 Wynnton Road, Columbus, GA 31999 | aflac.com |
|
Quote Of
The Week!
“The ability to form a union is one of the surest ways to improving economic outcomes. In order to unlock the potential benefits of unionization, workers need Congress to address the ability of employers to flaunt current labor laws.”
Line from a letter sent this week to Congress by United Steelworkers’ President Leo Gerard, urging passage of H.R. 2474; a bill to protecting workers’ right to organize.
Sign AFL-CIO petition of support for H.R. 2474
|
|
|
Organizer’s Worksite Meetings
|
|
Washington State Health Care Workers Get Enhanced Protections
|
|
| The Mercer Island Reporter published a story on Thursday about the Washington State House and Senate passing a bill "requiring health care workers to have uninterrupted breaks and placing limitations on mandatory overtime."
From the story:
The bill requires rest periods be scheduled during the employee’s shift and that the break be uninterrupted outside of emergencies or situations that would negatively impact a patient’s health.
There are also limitations placed on the use of “on-call” overtime as it can not be used in place of scheduling regular shifts. No more than 12-hours are to be worked in a 24-hour period and no more than 80-hours in a two week period. The bill also states that no employee will be required to work overtime, and any overtime work must be voluntary.
The protections not only cover nurses but also other health care workers who provide direct patient care activities or clinical services. Surgical technologists, diagnostic radiologic technologists, cardiovascular invasive specialists and respiratory care practitioners will be covered by the bill six-months after the effective start date on July 1, 2020.
|
|
Pennsylvania Lawmakers Pass On 401(k)s For Themselves, Choosing To Stick With Their Defined Benefit Plan
|
|
|
Pennsylvania lawmakers recently voted to place new hires to state government into a 401k pension plan, however a story this week in the PA Post reports that a majority of lawmakers (who are full-time and receive a defined-benefit pension benefit) did not opt to make the switch with the new hires.
From the story:
For years, Pennsylvania lawmakers wanted state government and school employees’ pension plans to look more like the 401(k)-style plans in the private sector.
But it’s pretty clear most didn’t want that kind of retirement plan for themselves.
A state law passed in 2017 to revamp the pension plans for future state workers and school employees. That law included a provision that gave lawmakers until the end of March of this year to decide whether to switch from the traditional guaranteed pension plan into one of the new plan options.
As of April 1, only 20 of the 218 lawmakers who participated in the state pension system at that time chose the 401(k)-style plan option, according to a PennLive analysis. PennLive obtained records from the State Employees’ Retirement System through a Right-to-Know request.
The remaining 198 – including 43 freshmen lawmakers who signed up for pension benefits – elected the traditional guaranteed pension plan.
“If you didn’t act on the intent of the legislation that you voted for and jump into a plan that would give you less, then what does that tell the 18 year old out there? Does that set an example for them that you are interested in their welfare?” former state Rep. John Kennedy says. “Probably not.”
|
|
Illinois Child Welfare Workers Continue To Struggle With High Caseloads
|
|
|
The Chicago Sun Times reports this week on how a child’s tragic death is shining a spotlight on the high caseloads most Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) workers are trying their best to juggle.
From the story:
The two state child welfare investigators who dealt with AJ Freund’s family were overloaded with other cases in the months leading up to the boy’s April beating death inside his parents’ squalid Crystal Lake home.
Those Illinois Department of Children and Family Services workers had been juggling caseloads well beyond limits set in a consent decree the agency has operated under for three decades, according to Heidi Dalenberg, an attorney for American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois, which oversees the court-ordered agreement.
Under the consent decree hammered out in 1988 after a probe ruled DCFS was providing inadequate care, investigators aren’t supposed to be assigned more than 12 new abuse or neglect cases per month during nine months of the calendar year, and no more than 15 cases during any of the remaining three months.
A recent audit found the beleaguered child welfare agency — beset by a series of mishandled cases preceding child deaths in recent years — struggled to remain in compliance with the consent decree between 2015 and 2017. More than 78% of DCFS investigators received more than 15 new assignments during at least one month in that time frame, with 32 investigators averaging more than 15 case assignments per month over the three-year period.
|
|
|
|
May 12
Happy Mother’s Day
May 14
Organizer’s Worksite Meeting – NECC
1270 U.S. Route 5
St Johnsbury
1:00 p.m. & 9:00 p.m.
May 14
Organizer’s Worksite Meeting – P&P Office
1016 U.S. Route 5
St Johnsbury
4:00 p.m.
May 15
Organizer’s Worksite Meeting – MTCR
1076 U.S. Route 2
Kitchen
Middlesex
6:00 a.m.
May 17
Final Day To Enroll In Delta Dental Supplemental Program
May 17
Organizer’s Worksite Meeting – AOE
219 N. Main Street
Conference Room 304
Barre
12:00 p.m. |
|
| 2019 Legislative Session Online Hub |
|
|
| A collection of resources, reports, and tools to help VSEA members navigate the Vermont Legislative Session.
Clicking on the hub’s main link, members and retirees are taken to a page that lists a number of options to click on, including:
The hub will be updated with new information as it becomes available. |
|
| Need To Contact A VSEA Staff Person Directly But Need The Number? |
|
|
| VSEA HQ is reminding members and retirees of each staff person’s direct phone number, in the event you know who you need to talk with but you don’t know their direct phone number.
Here’s the staff direct line list |
|
Reminder:
State Employees Who Are Threatened On The Job Should File "eAlert" Form |
|
|
| We are reminding members that there is an online form to fill out if you are threatened while at work.
Find The State’s “eAlert” Homepage Here
Important: Once you land on the eAlert page, you will see an entry labeled “threat” in the menu provided. Click on it and you land on a page with written instructions and fields to complete.
In November 2017, the current Secretary of the Administration sent the State’s “Workplace Safety and Security” policy to state employees, and VSEA members are encouraged to read through the different policies, examples and responses, prior to an actual event occurring. |
|
VSEA Membership Drive 2019
Now Underway! |
|
|
| Strength In Numbers!
A reminder that your union’s 2019 membership-recruitment drive is underway. Rewards for recruiting new members between now and September 1!
- 2 new members – Dunkin Donuts gift card;
- 5 new members – VSEA insulated coffee mug; or
- 10 new members – $50 VISA gift card!
Bonus! Recruit a new member and receive an entry in a drawing to win one of four $300 prizes to be awarded at VSEA’s 2019 Annual Meeting! Each new recruit earns you an additional entry! Just be sure to have your recruits add your name in the "Recruited By" line of the VSEA Membership Application.
More Membership Drive Information Here! |
|
| Need a quick reference to help with your recruiting? You can view an informational webpage with some recruitment tips and advice here.
If you have any questions, or want a list of non-members in your area, please contact VSEA Director of Operations and Organizing Amy Kinsell by email: akinsell@vsea.org |
|
| Told You’re Being Investigated? Watch This Video! |
|
|
|
It is important that every VSEA member knows his or her rights when it comes to union representation in investigatory meetings. Union representation at these meetings is a cornerstone of the labor movement. Your right to representation—as outlined in your contract and, in some cases, labor law—can be complicated.
Please take a few minutes on a break to watch the video, and know that the information being relayed could very well save your job someday. Remember, as a VSEA member, you are entitled to no-cost representation in investigatory meetings that may lead to discipline. Non-members, however, must now pay a rate of $250 to $350 per-hour for the same level of representation!
More: Know Your Union Rights
Not currently a VSEA member?
You can sign up online.
|
|
| "Protect Your Pension" Meeting Video |
|
|
| This video is for VSEA members only. To view it you must be logged into your VSEA.org user account. If you do not have a VSEA.org account, please sign up for a free account here.
Watch the presentation online |
|
| What You Should Know About The Anti-Worker Janus v. AFSCME U.S. Supreme Court Ruling |
|
|
|
If you haven’t already, begin educating yourself today about what the Janus decision means—or supplement what you know already. Please also inform your co-workers about this Janus page and talk with them about what you learned and remind them of the importance of a union in their everyday life. You could make a difference. Every study shows that nothing is more effective than member-to-member communication.
Learn More On VSEA.org
|
|
| Getting Ready To Retire? Retired Already? Join The VSEA Retired Members’ Chapter! |
|
|
Long-time VSEA activist and leader Terry Lefebvre asked Council members getting ready to retire to join the VSEA Retirees’ Chapter to continue to be an active and engaged union member, even in retirement. Lefebvre also appealed to Council members to talk up the Chapter to co-workers they know who might be preparing to retire.
With a possible fight looming on retirement security, Lefebvre stressed the importance to build the Chapter to be able to mobilize large numbers of past state workers to protect and defend the benefits they bargained to win over decades.
If you already belong to the Retired Members’ Chapter, a big thanks to you.
Learn More Here About The VSEA Retired Members’ Chapter |
|
| What is the VSEA Advantage Program? |
|
|
Did you know?
The average VSEA member can save hundreds of dollars a year by taking advantage of some of the Members Only benefits offered through their union!
GET EXCLUSIVE OFFERS, DISCOUNTS & MORE
It’s free, just for being a Vermont State Employees’ Association PerksConnect member!
Learn More!
Questions? Feel free to email vsea@ vsea.org |
|
|
Need To Update Your Contact Information
With VSEA?
|
|
|
|
|
